


Treasure

by Inkandquills, writersstudy



Series: Inktober 2019 [21]
Category: UP10TION
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventuring, Best Friends, Chronic Illness, Gen, In the end, M/M, Major Illness, Plane rides, Terminal Illnesses, bit-to loves sunyoul a lot, but the muscular symptoms are more background, collapsing temples, i guess probably a claustrophobia tw, in the first ch, in the second ch, mentions of hospitalization, sunyoul has Duchenne's, the subtext is that they're dating, unstable bridges, you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 04:36:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21130760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkandquills/pseuds/Inkandquills, https://archiveofourown.org/users/writersstudy/pseuds/writersstudy
Summary: Inktober 2019, Day Twenty-One!Prompt: TreasureGroup: Up10tionPairing: Sunyoul/Bit-toA: You're my best friend in the whole wide world and I'm never gonna let you go.M: Bitto had found countless treasures over the years but only one was truly his.[[PLEASE NOTE THAT WE, THE AUTHORS, HAVE NOT GIVEN PERMISSION FOR THIS WORK TO BE RE-POSTED ANYWHERE EXCEPT DIRECTLY ON AO3. IF YOU SEE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE, PLEASE REPORT IT FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT AND NOTIFY US AT LIVING.LENIENTLY@GMAIL.COM. THANK YOU.]]





	1. Ashlee

Changhyun hacked through the dense brush. He could see the very tip of the tower in the distance, but it still seemed like it was lightyears away. He had been fighting monsters galore since embarking on his quest, but the end was finally in sight. He was going to finally be able to rescue his prince.

He finally made it out of the brush and onto a worn path. In the distance, he could see the tower sitting at the end. He took off running. It almost seemed too easy, but he wasn’t going to focus on that now.

Ages later, Changhyun finally made it to the base of the tower. He stared up in awe. The prince was all the way at the top of this thing? There was no way he’d be able to climb the entire way. He looked around the base of the tower, tapping the rocks with his fist until he found one that moved. Once that one fell, they all did, exposing a rotting wooden door. It opened with a creak and Changhyun was careful to stay quiet as he slowly made his way up the spiral stairs. He climbed until he couldn’t climb any longer. He pushed at the ceiling and it gave way to allow him up into the living quarters at the top of the tower. 

There was a bed near the window in the tower and Changhyun could see Prince Yein sleeping under the blankets. He must have gotten tired while waiting for his savior to fight through the forest. Changhyun approached the bed on light feet, not wanting to startle the younger one. He reached a hand out and gently shook the prince’s shoulder. His eyes flew open and he gripped Changhyun’s wrist tightly.

“Watch out behind you,” he hissed, before feigning sleep once more. A large shadow fell over Changhyun and he turned around slowly to find a giant demon behind him. 

“How dare you touch my treasure?” it roared, charging for Changhyun. The soldier dove out of the way, baiting the monster after him and away from Yein. The prince was sitting up now, having abandoned his ruse in favor of watching fearfully as the soldier and the beast fought. 

It was a long battle. Every time Changhyun turned, the demon was there. It had magic, where the soldier did not, and it used it to its advantage. Changhyun refused to lose though. He refused to bow and simply kept pushing back at the monster until he finally started to gain the upper hand. 

Just as Changhyun was about to deal the fatal blow to the monster, a voice called out from below.

“Yein! Changhyun! Time for dinner! Wash your hands, please!” Changhyun squealed happily and immediately dropped the foam sword in his hand.

“Uncle, Uncle, can I help Yeinnie wash his hands?” he asked, jumping up and down as Yein’s dad got up off the floor.

“Sure thing, buddy,” Sooil said. He scooped Yein up from his bed and carried him into the bathroom, Changhyun tagging right behind. Sooil kicked a two step stool over to the sink and set Yein’s feet down on the top step.

“Here, Changhyun, you can stand on the first step and hold Yein around his middle, okay?” Changhyun clambered up on the step and eagerly hugged his best friend tightly. Yein giggled and stretched his arms out so his dad could help him wash his hands. Once both boys were cleaned up, the three of them marched their way downstairs to the dinner table.

“Were you boys having fun?” Jinhoo asked as the four of them sat at the table. Changhyun immediately launched into an excited rant about the game they’d been playing and how he was so close to saving Yein when dinner had been called. Yein just nodded along, happy enough to let Changhyun tell the story while he munched on his dinner.

Once they were done eating, they were able to play a little bit more and Changhyun finally vanquished the Sooil monster and saved Yein. After that, they were both coerced into the bath and tucked tightly into bed. At the tender age of seven, it was their first real sleepover and they were both too excited to fall asleep.

“You’re my best friend in the whole wide world, Innie,” Changhyun whispered, gripping the younger boy’s hand tightly, “I’m never gonna let you go, alright?”

A few years passed and the boys were still as good of friends as always. Changhyun was over at Yein’s house nearly every day, since it was easier for them to play there. Yein also insisted on using his walker more than relying on Changhyun or his dad, now that he was older and more independent. The only downfall was that the walker required more effort from him and was more taxing on his lungs, which made him more likely to come down with something. As they entered middle school and hit double digits, Yein started missing more days from being sick. It became Changhyun’s job to bring him his homework and help him stay caught up on what they were doing in class.

“Hey, Changhyun,” Jinhoo greeted when he opened the door for the now eleven year old, “Yein’s in his room. He’s on the nebulizer today so he won’t be able to talk much. He said to tell you that he won’t mind if you just drop his work and go home, since you two can’t really do much today.” Changhyun just beamed brightly.

“That’s okay! I can just do the talking for both of us.” He practically skipped upstairs, only slowing down and quieting when he reached the hallway where Yein’s room was, separated slightly from his parents.

“Yeinnie, I brought you your work, but none of it’s due until next week, so I’m just gonna put it on your desk,” he said, quiet but cheerful as he entered the room and dropped his backpack at the door. That was the good thing about Fridays: he and Yein could take a day off from working and just hang out.

Yein looked absolutely miserable. The mask over his mouth and nose hid most of his face, but the bags under his eyes told Changhyun that he’d been having trouble sleeping again because of his lungs. 

“I don’t know why you keep telling your dad to send me home,” Changhyun said conversationally as he puttered around the room. There was a big bottle of hand sanitizer on Yein’s desk and he slathered it all over his hands, not wanting to pass on anything that he’d picked up from the disgusting petri dish that was middle school. There was also a box of disposable masks that he would wear when Yein was particularly sick, but the younger boy shook his head when Changhyun went to grab one. Instead, he patted the bed next to him, Changhyun kicked off his shoes, shed his coat, and laid down.

“I dunno why you keep hanging around,” Yein mumbled, barely audible through the thick plastic of the mask and the noise of the nebulizer, “I’m just gonna keep getting worse. My dads are thinking about pulling me from school altogether.” Changhyun just shrugged.

“You’re my best friend in the whole wide world,” he said, squeezing Yein’s hand, “I’m never gonna let you go. Now, try to sleep. I won’t go anywhere.”

True to Yein’s prediction, his parents made the decision to pull him from school before the boys even reached their teenage years. Changhyun had thrown a  _ fit _ . He didn’t want to go to school if Yein wasn’t there and had gotten caught skipping classes and trying to leave school a few times. Eventually, his parents gave in and let him sign up for the same online school program that Yein was using. They enrolled in the same classes and Changhyun would go over to Yein’s house every day so they could do the work today.

Most of the time, Yein felt okay. He was on the nebulizer more often than not now, but he had come to not mind it as much. Being able to breathe was certainly worth the annoyance of having the thing strapped to his face.

Sometimes, Yein had really bad days, days where even with the respirator, he was still wheezing. Those days, he and Changhyun would just lay in bed in the dark. Changhyun would talk to him, spinning him stories and helping him whenever he started having a coughing fit.

It wasn’t until they were fifteen that it really dawned on Changhyun just how serious Yein’s condition was. Yein was having one of his worst days in a long time, so Changhyun had stayed past his curfew to try and help him relax a bit more. It didn’t seem to help though and when Yein began signalling that he really couldn’t breathe at all, Changhyun screamed for Sooil’s help. 

Watching the paramedics come and load his best friend into an ambulance was terrifying and he was endlessly glad that Yein’s parents let him come along to the hospital instead of sending him home to wait. What was even scarier was learning that Yein had lost consciousness in the ambulance and had yet to regain it. 

Once they were at the hospital and Yein was in stable condition, Changhyun was sat down by both his parents and Yein’s parents. They explained that, with Yein’s condition, respiratory failure was a common symptom and could often be fatal. That Yein was in respiratory failure and they weren’t sure when he would wake up. That people with Yein’s condition often didn’t live past their teen years and that Yein’s sudden decline meant they should all prepare for the worst. Changhyun had always vaguely known of the possibility, especially in the last few years, but being faced with it so suddenly had him bawling like a baby. He didn’t think he’d ever cried so hard in his life. When he finally calmed down and requested some time alone with Yein, no one argued with him. They simply filed out of the room and left him to sit with the younger boy.

Changhyun sniffled and gently took Yein’s hand, the one without the cannula in it. 

“You’re my best friend in the whole wide world,” he whispered, lip trembling, “I’m never gonna let you go, so you can’t let go either, alright? I need you to stay, Innie.”

To everyone’s relief, Yein managed to pull through the acute failure and recover to where he’d been before. The suddenness of his deterioration that night had put him on the radars of some researchers and he began looking into different trials and studies of medications designed to relieve his respiratory symptoms. 

Changhyun, on the other hand, was dragging his feet. His parents were pushing him to apply to colleges, but he was hesitant. Even though he could easily stay home and take classes online, it still felt like he’d be leaving Yein behind, and he didn’t want to do that. He didn’t tell Yein this though, instead making it seem like he simply wasn’t sure about college at all.

The day that Yein called Changhyun, yelling down the phone about a treatment course he’d been approved for, was the best day of his life. Yein had demanded that Changhyun accompany him to the first treatment, and who was Changhyun to say no? At first, it was just rounds upon rounds of corticosteroids, on top of the intense breathing treatments that Yein had already been receiving. Slowly but surely, Yein started to improve. He was able to go without the mask for longer and even able to slowly move around the house without help beyond his walker. Once he was ambulatory again, he started physical therapy and occupational therapy to help himself regain mobility and function. 

By the time they graduated from high school, neither of them had applied to any colleges yet. They had both taken the tests and had the scores, but Yein was too focused on getting better and Changhyun was too focused on being with Yein. With every little thing that Yein learned how to do again, Changhyun felt like cheering and crying all at once. 

It took some convincing, but their parents eventually agreed to let them rent an apartment together. It was close to home, ground floor and well ventilated, but it was their own space that they could enjoy without worrying about disturbing anyone. Yein was almost entirely off the nebulizer by then, only using it when he was having a really rough day. The treatments were actually working and Changhyun could see almost none of the frail boy that had just barely made it through high school.

“I think I wanna go to college,” Yein said to Changhyun randomly one day. 

“Oh?” Changhyun replied dumbly.

“Yeah,” Yein said, nodding, “I wasn’t sure about it before, because what’s the point of applying if I’m not physically equipped to handle it, but I think I’m at a place now where I could do it. I might do it online, but I’m still gonna do it.”

“What do you wanna go for?” Changhyun asked curiously.

“Sociology,” Yein replied, “I wanna be a social worker. If I hadn’t gotten matched with my dads, who knows what would have happened to me? I want to make that difference for other kids too.” Changhyun smiled. That was just like Yein, to want to help others in such a personal way.

“What about you?” the younger boy asked, “I know your parents were pressuring you.”

“I’ve been thinking about applying to a few neuroscience programs,” Changhyun admitted sheepishly, “just in the city. I’d have to commute for labs and stuff, but I should be able to do all my lecture classes online and keep working at the same time. I want to do research and try and find a cure or an even better treatment for this. It’s unfair that you lost your entire childhood to this, Innie, and I don’t want any more kids to go through that.” Yein seemed shocked, like he hadn’t expected that answer out of Changhyun.

“You should do it,” he said firmly, “we’ll both do it and become the best kid-helping team out there.” Changhyun laughed at that. 

“Alright,” he agreed, “let’s do it.” Later that night, after they had both gotten tired of poring over the applications that Yein insisted they start immediately, they were just cuddling on the couch when Yein suddenly spoke up.

“You know how you said earlier that the disease took a lot of my childhood from me?” he asked, earning a hum in response, “I don’t think that’s the case at all. When we were kids, you always made such a point to hang out with me and play with me and treat me like I was normal. It still took a lot of childhood experiences from me, but I was still a kid when I was you, Hyun. I just...I really thought you should know that.” Changhyun couldn’t even describe the feeling in his chest then. It meant so much to him, deep in his soul, that Yein thought that way about their friendship.

“I’m glad,” he said finally, “that was all I wanted, was for you to feel like a normal kid. I mean, when we were really little, I didn’t even really know that there was anything different about you, but even once I realized, it didn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. You’re still you, Innie, and that doesn’t change whether you’re sick or healthy.” He took a deep breath and searched for Yein’s hand, threading their fingers together over the younger boy’s hip.

“You’re still my best friend in the whole wide world,” he said softly, “and I’m still never gonna let you go.”


	2. Michelle

Bitto had gone on countless quests through overgrown forests and endless deserts. Over those years he had seen sights that few were fortunate enough to have found beautiful artifacts fit for royalty. But Bitto wasn’t your traditional adventurer. He didn’t travel the world to steal artifacts and hide them in a private collection to brag about. No, Bitto did the opposite. He had made it his life’s work ever since he could remember to travel the world returning stolen relics to their proper homes. He was called upon by universities and leaders across the globe looking for their stolen belongings. But Bitto didn’t work alone. Bitto was the brawn of the operation, the one who could get through, over, and passed anything. He was the one that actually traveled the world, putting his life at risk every time he stepped off of the plan. Sunyoul was the brains. He would have a flawless pain laid out for Bitto and would have a way to get him out of any sticky situation he may find himself in. He had recently received a request from a royal in Liechtenstein asking for Bitto to find a long lost diadem. The crown had been missing for generations and had been reportedly seen throughout Europe, Africa, and most recently South America. Currently Bitto sat at his kitchen table across from Sunyoul, pouring over a map and trying to figure out a plan.

“Hey, babe,” Sunyoul began, slowly setting his pencil down and looking up at his boyfriend, “what do you think about me coming with you this time?” Bitto’s eyes widened and his head shot up.

“Come with me? No, no, it’s too dangerous, you know that. And I don’t know how long I’ll be gone this time,” Bitto said. He looked back down at the map.

“Exactly. I don’t want to be left alone for that long not knowing if you’re even going to come back home,” Sunyoul said. He stood up and rounded the table.

“And what if you get hurt? I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. The school needs you in tip top shape in the fall. What would they do if their favorite teacher wasn’t coming back because he disappeared under mysterious circumstances in South America?” Bitto asked. 

“And what am I supposed to do if you disappear under mysterious circumstances and I never see you again?” Sunyoul countered, “I can handle myself. You know I can. I held my own when we trekked through the tundra in northern Canada and I can handle a jungle. Please, Bitto, I don’t want to live another summer alone in this house.” He gently took his boyfriend’s hand in his own and intertwined their fingers. Bitto sighed quietly.

“Are you really sure you want to do this?” he asked, looking back up at Sunyoul. The younger boy nodded eagerly. 

“I do. Plus you never know what you’ll need me to translate for you and no better way to do it than if I’m right there with you,” Sunyoul said.

“Fine. You can come with me,” Bitto relented. He couldn’t keep the smile off of his face at Sunyoul’s excited yell when he agreed. The younger boy leaned over to kiss his cheek and skip back to his seat.

“Just think of it as practice for our honeymoon,” he said as he sat back down. Bitto chuckled.

“Don’t forget that we actually have to do work on this trip. We have a diadem to find and we can’t come home until it’s returned,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll find the crown and find some time to enjoy ourselves,” Sunyoul said. He was scribbling down notes with a new vigor now.

“Sunyoul, you can’t forget that this is work. This is my livelihood. If I mess this up, we’re sunk,” Bitto warned. Sunyoul looked up at his boyfriend and his expression softened.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find the diadem and then the whole world will know your name!” he said supportively. Bitto rolled his eyes and got back to work. He was nervous to be bringing Sunyoul along but he vowed to himself that he wouldn’t let anything happen to his boyfriend. There was absolutely no going back when they boarded the small private plane and took off. Bitto was staring out the window at the ground that was rapidly disappearing from few when there was suddenly a hand in his own. He squeezed gently and continued to look out the window. Sooner than he would have liked, they were landing at a very small airport. Bitto wasn’t even entirely sure what country they were in but he couldn’t worry about that now. For the first time since he had begun his quest for lost and stolen artifacts, he wouldn’t have a guide through the woods. He didn’t want to admit it but he was actually grateful to have Sunyoul along with him. 

Once they settled their backpacks on their shoulders, they thanked the crew and pulled out their compasses. 

“This way,” Sunyoul said, already beginning to head southwest. There was a hidden temple deep in these woods that all of their research on the crown at pointed to. Now they hoped their compasses pointed that way too. They walked and camped on and off for a few days, closely following the map they had created. 

“We’re getting close,” Bitto announced one afternoon. 

“How do you know?” Sunyoul asked. He hoped them his boyfriend was right but nothing around them seemed to have given away any clues. Bitto just smirked and pushed a thick wall of vines out of the way to reveal a narrower path. 

“I’ve been around the block a few times,” he said with a shrug. He led the way down the path until Sunyoul suddenly grabbed his arm. 

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” he asked nervously. 

“There’s some markings on the ground,” Sunyoul replied, “I don’t want you to step on them.” Bitto glanced down at the symbols etched into the ground that he didn’t even recognize.

“The temple will only be revealed to those who are clever and brave of heart,” Sunyoul translated easily. 

“Well we certainly fit that description, come on,” Bitto said, continuing down the path. He only stopped when he reached a large cavern with seemingly no way to cross it. Across the gap that was much too wide to jump sat a cave that most certainly held what they were looking for. 

“Clever and brave of heart huh?” Bitto asked rhetorically. He searched around the area for a lever or some way to swing across the large gap but there was nothing. 

“We could try that bridge over there,” Sunyoul said pointing, “it doesn’t look very stable but it’ll get the job done.” He started heading in that direction, leaving Bitto to follow. 

“I’ll go first,” Bitto said bravely. He began slowly walking across the bridge and it wasn’t until he was about halfway through that he ran into a problem. He stepped on a rotten board which snapped under his weight and sent his foot through the bridge. Luckily he was able to catch himself and he called out a warning to Sunyoul. He waited with bated breath for his boyfriend on the other side and luckily he made it across okay. 

They disappeared into the cave and Bitto was preparing himself for the worst. He never knew what to expect. It could be poison arrows, nets that captured you, rabid animals, or even large objects meant to crush you. All of the past temples he had explored rotated through his mind but none of them could have prepared him to simply walk into a near empty room. They only thing that was in what could only be described as a large stone hut, was a slab of rock with none other than the diadem sitting on it. 

“This is it?” Sunyoul asked, looking around at the bare walls.

“Looks can be deceiving. Stay back by the door and be prepared to run,” Bitto warned. He cautiously approached the table, making sure he was confident in every step before he took it. Finally he reached the large stone altar. He slipped a bag out of his backpack that was about the same weight of the crown. Carefully, he took the crown in his hand and swapped them. He stood stock still for a moment, examining the crown to make sure it was the right one and storing it in his backpack. 

“Now what?” Sunyoul asked quietly. 

“Now we go home,” Bitto replied. He turned around and took a step back towards his boyfriend and that was when a loud crack echoed through the room.He turned just in time to see a small piece of the floor crumble into what looked to be a sinkhole in the floor. 

“Run!” he cried as he took off towards the door. Sunyoul immediately took off sprinting. Pieces of the ceiling began to rain down on them and Sunyoul had to use his backpack for protection. As he was running, Bitto got caught in the ankle by a falling piece of stone. He twisted it trying to keep his balance and winced in pain when he heard a pop. That definitely wasn’t good. Thankfully the adrenaline had kicked in and he didn’t feel the pain. 

“What do we do?” Sunyoul cried out nervously as he dodge the falling debris. The floor was collapsing fast and starting to catch up to them. 

“Get back over that bridge” Bitto yelled back. They made it out of the entrance to the temple just as a large stone fell and blocked the entrance. Neither of them hesitated to cross the bridge this time but they were still carefully not to fall through. When they made it to the other side, the pain in Bitto’s ankle finally caught up to him and he collapsed to the ground. Sunyoul took a hard seat next to his boyfriend and was immediately pulled into his arms. Bitto held Sunyoul tightly, afraid that if he let go his boyfriend would disappear along with the temple. 

“We made it,” the younger boy panted.

“We made it,” Bitto echoed quietly. They sat there for a few moments, letting their bodies calm down from the shock. After making sure Sunyoul wasn’t injured, Bitto helped his boyfriend to his feet and wrapped an arm around his waist. Throughout the whole trek, he did his best to keep his face neutral and his gait even despite the severe pain radiating from his ankle. He didn’t let go of Sunyoul until they were forced apart to sit down on the plane when they arrived a few days later. He refused any medical treatment, making sure Sunyoul was focused on first. Eventually someone noticed his extremely swollen ankle and wrapped it up as best they could.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt? I wouldn’t have let you carry me,” Sunyoul mumbled when they were finally left alone. 

“Exactly,” Bitto said quietly. He slipped his hand into Sunyoul’s and held on tightly. They were able to have a few days of rest until they have to meet with the royal family to return their diadem. They were extremely grateful and imparted Bitto with a gorgeous amethyst stone embedded into a beautiful amulet on a golden chain. As soon as they were alone, Bitto unclipped the necklace and fastened it around Sunyoul’s neck instead. 

“Which piece of treasure are you the most proud of yourself for finding?” Sunyoul asked as he glanced down at the ornate jewelry now hanging from his neck.

“You,” Bitto replied quietly. He grabbed his boyfriend by the cheek and tilted his chin over so he could kiss him deeply. 


End file.
